Lessons on being appetizingly Greek

Finger foods sampled at annual cooking class

Finger foods sampled at annual cooking class

November 13, 2006|KATHLEEN BLACK Tribune Correspondent

SOUTH BEND -- The large hall is filled with linen-draped tables and autumn centerpieces. Lively, traditional Greek song turns the air happy. A long banquet table, surrounded by guests chattering just as happily above the music, wait to fill their plates from a variety of colorful Greek dishes. A scene from "My Big Fat Greek Wedding?" No, it's the after-class tasting of the appetizers prepared recently by members of the Hellenic Cultural Society affiliated with St. Andrew Greek Orthodox Church. Forty-five Greek immigrant families living in South Bend founded St. Andrew in 1926. The cooking class is a yearly event that began in 1996 with a course on recipes using phyllo, a delicious but tricky-to-work-with Greek dough. Seats fill up quickly, since many of the participants, such as Judy Cantwell and Jan Hamman, both of South Bend, attend annually. "I came the first year and got on their mailing list. Then I told Jan about it, and we've come every year since," Cantwell says. Brother and sister Bob Engel of Elkhart and Marge Engel of Osceola are also faithful followers. Both enjoy cooking, and Marge says that she does try the recipes that she learned once she gets home. "I really like the Greek lemon egg soup, and I also made the baklava once. It was time-consuming, but it turned out good." Discussion flows fast in the moments before the cooking demonstrations begin. Snatches of conversation about using salted butter vs. unsalted, favorite types of olive oil, yummy sauce reductions, and family variations on the dishes to be presented give evidence of a group of people who know food and love to eat it. Directly behind the demo table, the apron-clad, chef-toqued cooks line up in front of large posters of the brilliant cobalt waters, expansive blue skies and snowy white structures so indicative of the romance of Greece. After a brief introduction by Panos Antsaklis from the Hellenic Cultural Society, the staff shows its stuff. Toula Sarantos starts off with Keftethes, which means, "minced or chopped." The dish is a type of meatball made from ground beef or lamb. She seasons hers with a little cumin and mint. "From my part of Greece, mint is the only herb added. Other Greek recipes may call for parsley or oregano. But mint smells so sweet, I always want to add it," Sarantos explains. She also encourages playing around with the quantities of seasonings until the flavors are adjusted to your own taste. But she says, "I can not stress too much the importance of good olive oil. It must be extra virgin and it must be cold-pressed." The mixture can be formed into meatballs and fried in the oil or baked in a pan like a meatloaf. The meatballs also can be broiled. And they are especially good sliced and placed in pita bread with a little tzatziki sauce. Tzatziki is a cucumber yogurt sauce commonly used on gyros and can be store-bought or homemade. Next up is Ephie Gevas, who demonstrates tiny Greek pies called tiropites, or Greek triangles. Here is where phyllo comes into play. Phyllo can be purchased in the freezer section of local markets. "If the phyllo is good, not too soft, not broken, the tiropites will turn out really good," Gevas explains. The filling is very simple: feta cheese, butter, eggs and cottage cheese. You'll need to use dry cottage cheese. If you can't find it, simply drain the regular kind. The filling is placed at the bottom corner of a strip of the phyllo; then the phyllo is folded the way you'd fold the American flag. And the result is extremely tasty -- small flaky pillows of buttery crust with a smooth cheesy center -- perfect as appetizers for the holidays. Jim Vrehas' recipe is also a holiday favorite. "You'll never find a Greek holiday celebrated without spanakopita, or spinach pie." This is another traditional dish that uses phyllo dough. "Recipes evolve; they don't stay stagnant. In my parts of Greece, they didn't use phyllo at all. They used a batter. The villagers prefer and cherish homemade dough because it's thicker. And phyllo is a premade commercial product. But cooking is not an exact science. You can do whatever you want with it. If there's something you especially like, put it in there. You just don't want a filling that's too soupy. Spanakopita is a pie or pita. Pita is a loose meaning. Generally it means something with a filling ... but not always," Vrehas says, laughing. He also recommends trying a Serbian dough called "kontos" that is similar to phyllo but more substantial and also found in the freezer section. And for better, more authentic flavor, try to buy ingredients at ethnic markets that stock Mediterranean products. Aysel Arikan echoes this tip. She put together a tabbouleh recipe using Turkish pepper paste instead of regular tomato paste, although the latter can be substituted. Tabbouleh is a bulgur-based salad with lemon, vegetables and mint that is amazingly fresh and sparkly to the taste buds. "I always mix it with a wooden spoon. For some reason, it is my good luck for good taste," Arikan says. If you don't serve your tabbouleh right away, you can press it down in the bowl to eliminate air and it will keep up to three days. Here are few recipes from the talented team of cooks: Kefthethes 2 pounds ground beef or lamb 6 slices wheat bread, ground in food processor 1/2 cup finely chopped onion 3 cloves garlic, finely chopped 1/2 cup olive oil 1 tablespoon salt 1/2 teaspoon pepper 1 teaspoon cumin 1/4 cup red wine 2 eggs 1/2 teaspoon dried mint, crushed Mix above ingredients in big bowl until well blended. Let mixture rest in refrigerator for a while for flavors to blend. When ready to fry keftethes, shape into medium-size balls, roll in flour to coat, flatten slightly, and fry in olive oil or vegetable oil until deep brown. They may be served hot, at room temperature, or in a tomato sauce over pasta. Keftethes keep well in the refrigerator and are delicious the next day, cold or warmed up. They also may be frozen. Greek Triangles (Tiropites) 1/2 pound feta cheese 1/2 pound dry cottage cheese 3 eggs 1 pound phyllo dough, thawed 10 minutes 1/2 pound unsalted butter, melted Crumble feta and mix with cottage cheese. Add eggs, one at a time, and mix again. Cut phyllo into long strips, 3 inches wide, and brush with melted butter. Now take the sides of the phyllo strip and fold toward center until they meet in the middle. Place one teaspoon of the cheese mixture at the bottom corner of each strip and fold the corner over to form a triangle. Continue folding in a triangular shape until the entire strip is folded. Place triangles on buttered cookie sheet and generously brush each one with butter. Bake at 375 degrees for 15 to 20 minutes until golden brown. These also can be frozen and baked when ready to serve. Tabbouleh 2 cups fine bulgur 8 green onions (scallions) 1 bunch parsley 3 tomatoes 2 medium cucumbers 4 sweet green peppers 1/2 tablespoon paprika Salt to taste 2 tablespoons tomato paste Fresh mint ( 1/4 of a bunch) Juice of 2 lemons 1/2 cup olive oil 1 bunch romaine lettuce Place bulgur in a heat-resistant bowl. Add 1 1/2 cups of boiling water and cover with a towel. Set aside to absorb water, about 15 to 20 minutes. Finely chop the onion, parsley, tomatoes, cucumbers and peppers. After the bulgur has absorbed the water, add paprika, salt and tomato paste. Mix well with hands or two wooden spoons. Add the chopped vegetables and mint, and mix. Add the lemon juice and olive oil. (You've added enough oil when the bulgur looks a little shiny). Fluff up and serve with romaine lettuce. Additional spices such as sumac, crushed peppers, pepper paste, black pepper, onions and garlic also can be added to taste.